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Free Granville Island concert showcases multilingual musical artists

DJ CHIP$
When not making music at Granville Island and other locations, DJ CHIP$ works as a nurse.

A free pop-up concert at Granville Island on Saturday (May 20) will feature four multilingual musicians. Singer-songwriter Van Lefan, DJ CHIP$, Sophie Yung, and Iris Lee will all perform in the Public Market Courtyard from noon to 4 p.m.

Jade Music Festival and CMHC – Granville Island will present the event, entitled On the Rise. It’s part of the Granville Island Music Series. Last year, the Society of We Are Canadians Too launched the Jade Music Festival with the goal of making Vancouver a North American hub for Chinese-language music.

The first artist, Lefan, will sing songs from her 2022 album, What Holds Us Together?, which featured tracks with English, Mandarin, and Taiwanese lyrics. Earlier this month, she told Pancouver that she will also perform new music from an upcoming EP. Lefan’s show begins at noon.

Van Lefan
Vancouver musician Van Lefan recorded her most recent music video in Taiwan.

Next up at 1:30 p.m. is DJ CHIP$, who will perform a newly curated set from Jade Music’s playlist. The Canadian-born Filipina artist draws inspiration from music of many languages, ages, and genres. These genres include hip-hop, pop, R&B, Afrobeats, dancehall, and reggaeton. In addition to performing at many nighttime gigs, DJ CHIP$ works as a registered nurse.

Sophie Yung
Sophie Yung is one of a growing number of Hong Kong-born musicians hoping to make a mark in Canada.

Cantopop comes to Granville Island

DJ CHIP$ will be followed at 3 p.m. by Sophie Yung and Iris Lee.

The two Hong Kong-born artists enjoy singing Cantopop covers. Yung was the first runner-up in a 2022 singing contest organized by Hong Kong student associations at SFU and UBC.

Meanwhile, Lee, who was raised in Canada, integrates contemporary Western influences into popular music from where she was born.

Yung and Lee will perform individually before coming together for a duet.

Iris Lee
Iris Lee makes music to bring different cultures together.

Jade Music Festival and CMHC – Granville Island present On the Rise from noon to 4 p.m. in the Public Market Courtyard. Follow Pancouver on Twitter @PancouverMedia. For more information on the Jade Music Festival, visit the website.

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Charlie Smith

Charlie Smith

Pancouver editor Charlie Smith has worked as a Vancouver journalist in print, radio, and television for more than three decades.

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Pancouver aims to build a more equal and empathetic society by advancing appreciation of visual and performing arts—and cultural communities—through education. Our goal is to elevate awareness about underrepresented artists and their organizations.

The Society of We Are Canadians Too created Pancouver to foster greater appreciation for underrepresented artistic communities. A rising tide of understanding lifts all of us.

We would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish Nation), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). With this acknowledgement, we thank the Indigenous peoples who still live on and care for this land.

Support us

Pancouver strives to build a more equal and empathetic society by advancing appreciation of visual and performing arts—and cultural communities—through education. Our goal is to elevate awareness about underrepresented artists and the organizations that support them. 

The Society of We Are Canadians Too created Pancouver to foster greater appreciation for underrepresented artistic communities. A rising tide of understanding lifts all of us.

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We would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. With this acknowledgement, we thank the Indigenous peoples who still live on and care for this land.